Looking Through A Crimson Mirror
by Andromeda2050
Summary: Xiamara only knows what it means to be a slave, but when Kylo Ren takes her in, they both learn there is more to her than either of them anticipated. Note: Not intended to be canon, this is just for fun.
1. Take Me Instead

Dusted eyes opened, and a glaring light penetrated the glass like a dagger through water. The dream she had seemed as if it would never drown out, but perhaps it was because it was more of a memory trying to drill its way in. One she had chosen to forget long ago.

As a child, she was a slave to Ivan, a half-human, half-Feeorin that traveled with a small crew of pirates. Xiamara had been his possession since she was very young. She could remember nothing before that.

She stepped out of the bed, a familiar weight slowing down her right foot. She almost always wore this chain as long as she was on Odryn, unless Ivan had somewhere to go, and therefore took her with him.

A booming voice came from the next room. The sound of the chain must have given away her consciousness.

"You're awake, good."

It was Ivan, alright. His accent and deep voice couldn't be mistaken. He appeared in the doorway. Unlike most Feeorin, his skin was dark and brown in color, not blue. However, he did possess some tentacles in his hair that blended with his dreads, each wrapped in gold and silver bands to express how many ships he had taken.

"Yes, master," Xia murmured, eyes averted to the ground, her orange hair falling over the sides of her face.

"You are sixteen today," he said, which momentarily surprised her. None of her other birthdays were important to him. Why was he keeping count now?

Ivan stepped into the room, using a small key to unlatch the shackle from her ankle. She said nothing, certain he would make his point soon enough.

"Follow me."

Or maybe not.

She did as she was told. Ivan usually was a fair master over these years, save but some treatments in the beginning that were enough to teach her to behave. She had no desire to do anything that might get her switched again.

The village was small, but there was one building in particular that she had never been to. She was never told not to enter, but the insinuation was always there. She was almost reluctant to enter, but as Ivan pursued to step through the burlap curtains, she meekly followed him in.

In the center of the room was a large vat with hot coals burning within. It was significantly warmer in here than it was outside, albeit it was only a chilly morning. Her bare feet touched dirt as she approached the cauldron with him, and almost instantly, her gut tightened. Something didn't seem right.

He pulled out a long, metal rod from the hot coals, red sparks floating through the air only to disappear. He didn't have to explain. All the members of the air ship belonging to Ivan had a branded symbol upon their necks, one that Xia couldn't exactly describe, but always knew it told everyone else in the Galaxy what they were a part of: a dangerous crew of pirates that weren't afraid of stealing anything they deemed necessary.

"I..." she began, taking a step back in great discomfort. She wasn't ready for this. Whether it was an initiation practice or another way for Ivan to show she belonged to him, she was seconds away from running.

"This is not an option, girl," he growled, snagging her arm roughly She cried out, the vice grips from the hybrid leaving the bones beneath feel like they were ready to crack.

"Let me go!" she hollered. "I can't... I won't let you!"

"Stupid child," he snarled, but the last syllable was drowned out by the sound of an explosion from outside. Immediately, he released her, and Xia took her opportunity to flee. She ran for the back of the house as her master went outside to observe the incident. Hiding herself beneath an old table, she held her breath as she heard voices from outside.

"We have suspicions that you are keeping a stolen Droid in your village."

"No one is to leave the premises while we patrol."

Then came Ivan's voice. "Don't be foolish," he insisted. "We have no interest in droids. Too complicated, and too noisy."

"Quiet, pirate scum. We must insist."

Xia feared the worst as she climbed through the back window. Indeed, the Feeorins had taken a Droid, a BB unit that actually wound up being a good friend to the girl. If they took it, she would have nothing left.

"BB-3?" she whispered to the cool, damp air. She was sure the Droid already knew it was being sought after, but Xia could only hope that she could get to it first. She returned to the hut she stayed in with her master, spotting a group of white-armored soldiers along the way. Thankfully, they were heading the other direction.

"BB-3," she whispered out again, a little louder this time once she got inside.

"_Beewwooop?_"

Xia sighed as the Droid slowly rolled out onto the carpet, clearly trying to be quiet. This BB unit was smaller than most of the current models, but it served it well in this case, so as to hide better.

"Yes, I'm okay," she murmure, kneeling before it. "Stormtroopers are out there looking for you. I wonder why they want you so badly."

_"Broooop! Blip, bleep, bleeeep."_Xia smiled faintly. BB-3 seemed adamant that they were looking for a different Droid, and mistook him for one of their own. "Well, we can't tell them that. they certainly wouldn't believe us."

After all, on her spare time, Xia liked to change some of the Droid's outer parts, just for cosmetic purposes. Right now, the unit dominantly doned a lovely shade of crimson and was accented with glossy, dark grays.

She had to say, she had taken very good care of it over these many years.

Hearing the marching footsteps of the Stormtroopers progressively getting louder, she shooed the Droid to go find a safe spot to hide. She would do the same, pulling aside an old bookcase to reveal a crawlspace in the wall. She squeezed herself inside, then pulled the bookshelf back into place. Only Ivan knew of this hiding spot, but at this moment, she questioned if she was really safe just because of that alone.

She held her breath for a few seconds, then exhaled. She wasn't so much worried about herself, but her friend.

She thought back to the first time she met the Droid. She couldn't remember what planet they were on, but the pirates brought the BB unit on board when Xia was cleaning Ivan's quarters. She had slipped and landed on her wrist when he came in with the unit. They hoped to find a map inside of its memory that would show them a rare artifact, but the details were lost on her.

Yet, BB-3 instantly came to her aid when she hurt herself, making sure she hadn't broken her wrist by slowly turning it in circles with a couple of grasping arms. It took great care in helping the child. She had to have been seven or so at the time.

She was shaken from her memory as the bookshelf shifted to the side, revealing her. It was Ivan who grabbed her out of the cleft in the wall, and none too gently, at that.

"We'll settle our earlier conversation later. Right now, we have more important matters."

He dragged her outside, and Xia struggled only for a moment until she saw the troopers were still outside. There were three of them, and at their feet were two bodies: Feeorins that she imagined were dead because they weren't cooperating.

"You know better than any of us where that Droid is hiding," Ivan muttered against her ear. "Tell them, and I might consider not lashing you for your behavior."

"I don't know what you're talking about," she growled at him, gritting her teeth. Her growing anger might have been clouding her judgement, but she wasn't about to give up her only friend.

"You'll get a lot worse if you don't come clean, girl," Ivan sneered. "If they don't kill you, I'll make you wish they had."

Her spark sank at the threat, but before she could decide if she was going to change her mind or not, a shriek filled the air.

_No_...

"BB-3!"

A pair of Stormtroopers carried a large net, and inside of it was BB-3, desperately trying to roll its way out of their grasps.

"We have the Droid," one of them said, approaching a black figure that Xia hadn't seen before. "It appears to have been modified."

"Take it to The Finalizer," said the figure in a deep, somewhat distorted voice that may have only been so because of his helmet. She couldn't see his face, but something told Xia he was the leader of the group. Maybe even more important than that. "Have them run diagnostics and detect any changes."

"No!" Xiamara cried out, unable to hold herself back. "Please, don't!"

The troopers didn't acknowledge her, and at first, nor did the individual giving orders. What if...

She was probably being a fool, but she had to try. Anywhere had to be better than here.

"Take me instead!" she tore herself out of Ivan's grasp, and he sneered something at her, but she didn't quite catch it. "Please... BB-3 is all I have. Don't hurt him..."

A couple of the soldiers shared looks, and then looked to their leader. Though she couldn't see their faces, they were considering their options. Finally, the deeper voice spoke.

"We will take both," he said. "Take care with the Droid. The girl stays in a cell until I say otherwise."

"What!?" Ivan snarled. "You can't just--" He stopped as one of the Stormtroopers pointed their guns at his face.

"You're lucky you're alive. Lord Kylo Ren has been very generous not to execute you right here."

Xia inhaled sharply.

What had she gotten herself into?


	2. Adaptation

Xiamara had never been on a ship as vast and clean as this one, but her awe was dampened by the fact that she was still a prisoner. _You chose this, Xia, _she told herself. She had to tell herself this multiple times while she sat in that cell. She had to have been there for at least three days. They fed her, at least.

Stormtroopers came to the bars, but instead of bringing her dinner, she was surprised to see that this time, BB-3 was rolling behind them.

Instantly, her heart leapt with relief.

_"Boop, vrrruuu!"_

She smiled, crawling towards the bars. "It's good to see you, too. I'm glad you're okay, BB-3."

The door to the cell was opened, but before she could be permitted to come out, Kylo Ren stepped into the opened doorway. He entered the cell, forcing her to scoot backwards across the floor.

"Your Droid happens to be stolen from someone else," he said. "It does not belong to the First Order." Xia was momentarily surprised, but said nothing. Was it possible that they had been that lucky?

"We will return you and your BB unit to Odryn, but only when it is convenient for our schedule."

"Wait," she blurted, pulling herself together before she slowly stood up. She didn't want to return to Ivan's cruel clutches. She glanced at her arm, where a bruise remained from her master's grip. Anything was better than that, even if it meant being discarded at the next stop this ship made. "Please, don't make me go back there. Those pirates barely treated me like a human being."

"Then, what do you propose I should do with you?"

"Anything, please. Whatever is convenient for you."

For a moment, he merely stood there, and Xia hated not being able to see his expression.He turned to the Stormtroopers, excusing them with a mere nod and what sounded like a "leave us".

After they turned the corner, and the sounds of their heavy steps faded into silence, Kylo Ren turned back to face her. "In that case, you will serve me personally," he said bluntly. "You will be protected, but you will not leave the ship unless I give you instruction to."

Xiamara sighed through her nose. It could have been worse, she supposed. "Okay."

"You will address me as either _sir _or _master. _Am I clear?"

"Crystal, sir."

"Follow me." Xia did as she was told, silently led down the bright, white corridor. Behind her, BB-3 rolled energetically along, as if nothing had ever happened.

"As long as you do everything I request, you may keep your BB unit. It is of no use to me, but perhaps it will be of better use to you." A door opened ahead of them, and as they stepped inside, she noticed it was much darker here than the rest of what she is seen of the ship. Was this his personal chambers?

"You will not go into that room, under any circumstances," he said firmly, pointing to a foot on the far right side of the room Then, a short his was heard, and finally, he removed his mask. "Do you understand?"

For a brief moment, Xia paused. He was nothing like she expected. Younger in appearance than his voice portrayed, and a pale face framed with black, wavy hair.

"Yes, sir.

"Very well." His voice was slightly different now, unaffected by the helmet he was now setting on the glossy table nearby. He gestured to a door on the other end of the room. "Draw a bath for me. Hot water, and two towels. I will return shortly.

Many of the following days were similar to this. Xia did precisely what she was told, and she never did what she was told not to do. Though The forbidden room sparked her curiosity, she stayed away from it, and at most times, she didn't even think about it.

She was primarily a maid, but almost every night that Kylo Ren was there, he requested a hot bath to be prepared. She would excuse herself to her own room when he was ready to get in, and she wouldn't see him until the next day. Sometimes, she had to deliver food and drinks, but that was less often than one would expect. She was always just next to his quarters if she was needed, and when she wasn't, she had BB-3 keep her company.

She almost never knew what her master was doing when it came to missions, but there were times too when he would come with a small injury for her to patch up. She already knew some basi, medical skills from being Ivan's slave, so this was fairly simple.

Eighteen months, and Xia had no new scars to add to her old ones, which was a sure sign that she had made the right choice.

Well, the only injuries she endured was through patching up BB-3, adding white panels to its design to make it lighter. It seemed to match its new surroundings more, once she disposed of the gray

"White and red looks handsome on you," she said with a smile, setting the screwdriver back into her toolbox, which Kylo Ren allowed her to have. BB-3 gave a whirr of approval, its polished body spinning.

After putting a bandage on her finger, she proceeded out of the room to see if Kylo Ren had returned for the evening. He seemed to be running a little late, so she went into the quarters to make sure there was nothing she had missed. Everything was pristine. she'd even dusted each and every book that sat on the shelf. It looked as though no one had touched them in decades.

As she stood in the room, however, she thought she had heard a voice. It didn't seem to be coming from within the room, nor from any particular direction at all. She tried to tune her focus, breathing very quietly so as not to miss it. However, only silence reached her ears.

After a couple minutes more of waiting, the doors slid open. Her master stepped inside, his mask beneath his arm. Xia snapped out of her musings and gave a bow. "Good evening, master."

He merely gave her a look of slight concern. "You look perplexed, Xia."

"I..." He would have thought her ridiculous if she told him she was hearing voices in her head. "Thought I heard a noise, so I came in to investigate. It looks clear."

"Indeed," he agreed. "You look tired. Draw a bath for me and get some rest once you're done."

"Yes, master."

She did as instructed, BB-3 following close in tow.

_"Vrrrriick vwooo?" _the Droid splurted asthey returned to her bedroom. Xia closed the door.

"I don't know," she answered, equally lost. "Maybe he's right. I'm probably just tired."


	3. Unwanted Company

Xia hadn't heard anything else for months after that. Convinced that it was merely a result of exhaustion, she easily dismissed it from her mind. One afternoon, she was surprised when Kylo Ren visited her as she was polishing the Droid in her bedroom.

He always knocked first, which alarmed her slightly that he could be a gentleman. Xiamara imagined it would only be quite embarrassing if he walked in on her while she was indecent.

Her hands, still holding the rag, rested on her lap. Meanwhile, BB-3 gave a whistle and a whirr that closely resembled a greeting. Like Xia, the Droid expressed nothing but respect towards the warlord, though Xia wasn't sure if BB-3 was merely trying to keep the two of them from being separated, and therefore remained on its best behavior.

"We have unfriendly company on its way. A couple of rogue pirates affiliated with your former master."

This was a surprise - not a good one, at that. Were they here to try and capture her?

"You are to stay in my quarters until they are disposed of. Understood?"

"Yes, master," Xia nodded, rising to her feet. She looked at BB-3, and the trio moved to Kylo Ren's quarters. He left her locked inside so that no one but himself could enter. Xia felt very uneasy, and somehow, the room felt colder than usual. She sat in a chair by the window that overlooked the endless void of space, though saw no ships coming towards them. Instead, she saw Crait, a beautiful, yet desolate planet she had always wanted to visit.

"I hope he sends them with their tails between their legs," she said to the Droid, who bleeped in agreement. It felt like the longest wait in her life when she finally heard a sound at the other side of the door. However, it sounded more like tinkering on the door, like someone was trying to break in. Quickly, Xia spotted a poleaxe mounted on the wall and seized it. Though she never had to fight in her life, she was ready to start swinging if her life depended on it.

"She's here!" growled a familiar voice. It was Ivan's right-hand, Gloth, a full-blooded Feeorin with a nasty temper. Sometimes, he scared her more than Ivan did.

Suddenly, the door opened, and as the two pirates stepped in, the girl's grip on her weapon tightened. Seeing them after all this time only made her angry, when she initially suspected she would be fearful.

As Gloth charged at her, she flung the poleaxe in a wide motion in front of her, causing him to leap back and away from her. He grunted, gritting his teeth. "You're really going to wish you hadn't done that."

Again, she swung at him, yelling this time as she did. "I'm not going anywhere with you. You'll have to kill me first!"

"Not if I have anything to say about it."

To her surprise, it wasn't Gloth that spoke, but the familiar voice of her master as he quickly put an end to the Feeorin closest to the doorway. Xia exhaled, quickly getting out of dodge as Gloth and Kylo Ren started fighting one another. The red glow of Ren's lightsaber gave color to the room around them, as there was very little light already.

Xia said nothing, but she was undoubtedly hoping the pirate would meet his end. Suddenly, the ship began to rock, as if it had come across a disturbance in its flight. Xia stumbled a bit, and even BB-3 went rolling to the other side of the chamber by sheer gravity. Even the two fighters staggered at the turbulence.

"Master, look out!"

Gloth was coming up behind Kylo Ren with a hidden dagger. She was standing between them before she could think twice about it. Poleaxe still in hand, she drove it hard into Gloth's skull, gasping as blood struck her face.

But it was the sharp pain in her side that caused the air to hit her lungs.

Gloth was certainly dead, but Xia knew what she had done was quite stupid.

"Damn," she heard Kylo Ren grunt, and she fell into what she could only guess was his arms when the darkness shrouded her eyes.

In her mind, she asked herself no girl just over eighteen should have to inquire.

_Am I going to die?_

In the void, she saw nothing, but an unfamiliar voice could be heard as if it was coming from very far away.

_"Xia, do you hear me?"_

It sounded like a man, though one significantly older than her. She couldn't move her mouth, but somehow, the words escaped her mind and reached out into the empty space around her.

_Who's there?_

No response, but a tightness emerged in her chest, as if whoever the voice belonged to was trying to get some sort of message across to her, but its intent was unclear.

Suddenly, in came a sharp breath, and light flooded her eyes again. She was lying down, and the pain subsided as quickly as it came. She sat upright, and it took her a couple of moments to realize that she was in her room again, and beside her, Kylo Ren was sitting in a chair, apparently waiting for her to wake up. He had changed out of his warlord clothes, though it wasn't uncommon for her to see him wearing simple, black clothes.

"You're awake."

"Yeah..." she exhaled. Although his voice was quite even, he seemed rather relieved that she was okay. Had she been hurt like that as Ivan's property, she doubted he would have reacted like that. "Did I...?"

He seemed to know exactly what she was asking before she even finished.

"You passed out from shock, nothing more." He pulled down the blanket from her torso. There was a hole where she had been stabbed in the black, tank top that she wore, but beneath the fabric was no wound. At first, she stared at the spot in disbelief. She had heard rumors of the Force, but had never seen it in person.

"You did that?" She almost asked why, but held her tongue. She was still his slave, after all, and she had to choose her words carefully. Questioning his motives would not be a wise idea.

"It was no trouble." He seemed more human than she had ever seen over these past, couple of years. She almost wondered if she ever knew him at all. "Are you feeling better?"

"Yes... Thank you, sir."

He nodded, his expression harder to read suddenly as he got up from the chair. At first, she expected him to tell her to prepare a bath for him. The room was tense, and she didn't notice at first that she had been holding her breath.

"Get some rest. I will check on you in the morning."


	4. Revelation

The night seemed so long, she thought it might never end. Sleep didn't exactly come as she hoped it would. Kylo Ren made it sound so easy, yet all Xia could worry about was her paranoia of the pirates that had tried to abduct her.

Or were they trying to kill her?

That didn't help ease her mind any. She inhaled, then sighed. In the corner, BB-3 was fast asleep, completely unaware that she was awake. She was quiet as she headed to the bathroom to splash some water onto her face.

Then, she heard something.

She shut off the faucet, water droplets dripping from her eyelashes as she tried to focus on the silence.

Then, it started again, like faint whispers with no words that could really be made out.

She thought at first that she was probably just very tired, but as she came back to her bedroom, the whispers became slightly louder. Both confused and terrified, she looked towards the exit door. Somehow, as she became more alert, she knew where they were coming from.

As if drawn like a moth to the flame, she followed it into the hallway. As she went into her master's quarters, the whispers became even louder. It was as though they were leading her there.

The door on the far side of the room opposite from his bedroom and washroom opened to her. She didn't even ponder the possible consequences.

The room she was forbidden to go into was a bright white compared to the rest of Kylo Ren's quarters, that she thought she must have crossed into another universe entirely.

She saw a table lined with different artifacts, none of which made any sense to her. There was a melted helmet, and as she went to touch it, one of the whispers raised above the others.

_"Be careful not to choke on your aspirations..."_

Quickly, she pulled her hand away. Her eyes cast to what appeared to be the hilt of a lightsaber. She hadn't even known that the door open behind her until Kylo Ren's stern voice filled the room.

"I thought I made myself clear when I told you this chamber was forbidden."

Yet, his angry expression changed to disbelief when Xia turned around with the lightsaber in her right hand, glowing red and fully extended.

Just as quickly as it happened, she dropped the weapon, letting the hilt fall to the floor with a loud clang.

"I... I'm sorry, master," she stuttered, "I heard voices, and... I just followed..."

He looked at her for a moment, and once he straightened, he walked towards her, holding his hand palm-down. "Put out your hand like this."

"What?"

"Do it."

Reluctantly, she did as she was told. Her hand hovered high above the fallen lightsaber, but it did not respond to the gesture. She wasn't sure what she was supposed to do.

"Focus on it. Will it to your hand."

Still somewhat dazed, she looked at the hilt. She inhaled, then exhaled. By now, the voices seemed to fade altogether. Her blue eyes stared at his brown eyes, and then, suddenly, he grabbed her wrist.

Immediately after, something came into contact with her fingers. She gasped as the cool metal touched her palm, and a sensation of vibrations and chills seemed to stir inside of her.

A distant voice, somewhat like a memory, echoed in her mind:

_"I have good news for you, My Lord. The war has begun."_

Kylo Ren took the lightsaber from her slowly, their eyes still locked as he set it back to its home on the table.

"We have something very important to discuss."

"Yes, sir."

As they returned to the main room, Xia tried everything to wrap her head around what had just happened. how was she able to use the Force. She had no recollection of knowing her family, having been stolen at such a young age, but something told her that this man had a pretty solid lead.

"Stay here," he said. "I will return shortly."

Xia watched in confusion as he left, and once the door was shut, she looked at her hands. _I don't understand... __How is this possible?_

How long was he going to be before she got answers? He said shortly. Did that mean five minutes? An hour? She was anxious, and before she knew it, she was pacing back and forth. Just as the thought of returning to the private room for an explanation crossed her mind, Kylo Ren returned with what appeared to be a full decanter in one hand, and two glasses in the other.

"I don't normally drink so late at night," he said. Then, she thought she almost saw a smile for the first time in these two years she knew him. "I don't normally drink as it is." He set them down on the black table, then poured the muted, gold liquid.

"What's the occasion?" she asked, not yet taking the filled glass.

He drank down half of his before he finally spoke.

"When I touched your arm, I saw your father. An individual of great importance, but not a user of the Force. His father's uncle, however, was a Sith."

Xia paused, repeating this in her head and trying to calculate a chart with branches that might help her make sense of this.

"So...my great-great uncle..."

"Indeed," he confirmed. "You heard his voice when I took your wrist. I heard it, too. I've heard it before. My grandfather killed him before he fully succumbed to the Dark Side."

There wasn't a soul in the galaxies that didn't know of Darth Vader and his ruthlessness, but Xia was not one good with history. It wasn't exactly something the Feeorins taught her.

"Xiamara. You are the great-great niece of the Sith known as Count Dooku."

For a few moments, she stared at him. Had she not known that Kylo Ren was not one with a sense of humor, she might have thought he was pulling her leg. Even still, this was quite a serious topic - one that escalated quite quickly.

"I think I'm ready for that drink now."


End file.
